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27/3/2023–|Last updated: 3/27/202301:22 AM (Makkah Al-Mukarramah)
Israel is witnessing widespread protests, including the closure of major roads and the breaching of barriers around the house of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in occupied Jerusalem, following his decision to dismiss the Minister of Defense, and the army has raised the state of alert following “losing control inside Israel,” according to the Israeli Channel 12.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, following Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant following he recommended that the government postpone its plan to overhaul the judicial system, which has deeply divided Israelis.
The Israeli Army Radio said that the police commissioner had directed an increase in reinforcements throughout Israel, and it also quoted him as saying that the police would arrest anyone involved in cases of extreme violence and vandalism, according to his description.
The Police Commissioner also said that the authorities allow the democratic right to protest but will not allow public unrest and damage to government symbols, as he put it.
And the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that the inspector general of the army will hold a meeting to discuss the security implications of Galant’s dismissal.
Cancellation of the Knesset deliberations
As the protests escalated and expanded, the Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that the Law and Constitution Committee in the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) canceled the night’s deliberations to vote on the judicial amendments.
The Israeli Channel 12 also quoted officials in the Likud – Netanyahu’s party – that the prime minister may suspend the adoption of the law amending the judicial system.
But it seems that Netanyahu will be in another dilemma if he responds to the demands of the protesters. The same Israeli channel reported that Justice Minister Yariv Levin is threatening to resign if the prime minister decides to suspend the judicial amendments.
There have been repeated demonstrations in the past weeks, rejecting the plan to amend the judicial system, but the protests have taken on new dimensions following Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss the Minister of Defense and his threat to what he described as rebels once morest the government.
Israeli media said that protesters broke through barriers around Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem, and that police used water cannons to push them away.
At the same time, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that officials and mayors announced that they would start a hunger strike in front of Netanyahu’s office today, Monday.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters headed to the Knesset headquarters in Jerusalem.
In Tel Aviv, huge crowds blocked the city’s main highway, and demonstrators set fires in the middle of the road, according to Archyde.com.
The Israeli Army Radio quoted one of the leaders of the protests as saying that the road closures will continue until Netanyahu’s resignation.
For his part, the head of the Israeli Workers’ Union said that the union will announce a complete closure of the economy.
Meanwhile, politicians and former officials expressed concern regarding the chaos in Israel.
“The most serious crisis since 67”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel was in the greatest danger since the 1967 war.
Likewise, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, “A gang rules Israel and acts in a crazy, destructive way, and touches the foundations of coexistence.”
At the same time, Israeli Channel 12 quoted members of the government coalition as saying they were deeply shocked, and that the prime minister had made a “strategic mistake.”
These positions extended to the American ally as well. A spokesman for the US National Security Council expressed serious concern regarding the developments in Israel and their repercussions on the army.
The spokesman stressed “the urgent need to reach a compromise in Israel.”
In this context, the Israeli Channel 13 quoted a senior Israeli official visiting the Pentagon (the US Department of Defense) as saying that the US military circles were shocked by Galant’s dismissal.
On the other hand, the Israeli Consul General in New York announced that he had submitted his resignation on Sunday in protest of the dismissal of the Minister of Defense.
“I can no longer continue to represent this government,” Consul Assaf Zamir said on Twitter.
Source : Al Jazeera + agencies + Israeli press